Central Asia news

Former chairman of the Turkmen parliament sentenced to five years behind the bars

Sources in the capital of Turkmenistan say that the Supreme Court sentenced Ovezgeldy Atayev, former chairman of the Mejlis dismissed when President Saparmurat Niyazov passed away, to five years imprisonment. The Supreme Court met to discuss the matter behind the closed doors.

Atayev was charged with driving his would-be daughter-in-law to suicide out of ethnic hatred.

According to what information Ferghana.Ru has compiled, the Supreme Court sentenced to imprisonment three medics involved in the episode. All of them were found guilty of non-reporting a crime.

Atayev was elected chairman of the parliament on November 12, 2002. By the Constitution, he was supposed to become acting president with Niyazov's demise but the joint meeting of the State Security Council and the Cabinet interfered because of the criminal charges the Prosecutor General's Office had pressed against the lawmaker. He was immediately relieved of his duties and taken into custody.